


to wear another's skin

by LightningRooks



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Gen, Nudity, Vomiting, not at the same time and i don't describe any of his bits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 22:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8120221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningRooks/pseuds/LightningRooks
Summary: there's a familiar face among the targent agents in monte d'or.





	

jean descole stood on the nautilus chamber of akbadain, and thought of his lost family once again.

“i have sacrificed everything for this moment,” he said, but what he meant was _i have lost everything while in pursuit of this moment._

“master, you’ve done it,” raymond said, amazed at the sight before him. 

“behold, the nautilus chamber of akbadain!” he said, spreading his arms to gesture at the moving chamber in front of them. “it’s...quite beautiful, wouldn’t you say?” 

only a few seconds after he had finished speaking had he heard the sounds of machinery in the distance. as the sound grew louder he began to recognize targent tanks, helicopters, and cars. he gritted his teeth. did they send their entire force against him? 

(a quiet voice in the back of his mind asked if perhaps she was with them.)

when his father- when bronev stepped out of his car and demanded he leave, descole’s blood began to boil. what right did he have to what descole had worked so hard for?

“you are not recognized as any type of authority!” descole shouted. he clenched his fists. “and you disgust me with your demented worldview.” 

he thought of anne-marie and his late wife.

“i will not let you steal that which i have earned!” 

( _again._ )

with that jean descole leapt into the fray, dodging an onslaught of bullets and ripping off his cape. he took care of three of bronev’s goons, and had nearly reached the head of targent when he was stopped by a smaller agent butting in.

she was small but fast, and wielded a knife in one hand, blocking descole’s attacks with her other. he didn’t get a good look at her face until she moved in and cut his cheek with a move so fast he felt it before he saw it. only then, as he stepped back, blood oozing down his face, did he recognize her.

anne-marie. 

and then, as if to answer a question he hadn’t even thought of yet, she whispered, “sorry.”

it was still her. she was still his daughter, and not a brainwashed targent agent, and if he hadn’t been so shellshocked he might have wept right then and there out of pure relief. 

but anne-marie didn’t know that jean descole was her father, and so she knocked him out with a roundhouse kick.

later, after he regained consciousness in the reunion inn, jean descole did weep. she was alive, and still retained her humanity. good gods, she was right there! bronev must have noticed his granddaughter’s resemblance to her grandmother and decided to spare her. 

and then he remembered that it was his daughter who had cut him, and his daughter who had knocked him out. did bronev force her to fight? how many others had she been forced to brawl with? had bronev forced her to- no, he couldn’t think of that. 

( _had bronev forced anne-marie to kill?_ )

bile rose in his throat and he knew he couldn’t just swallow it down, so he stumbled to the bathroom and threw up. his mask was gone and his hat was on the dresser, but since he'd been allowed to rest, descole assumed that they were safe.

after his stomach was completely ride of its contents, jean descole began to weep again. gods, what was he doing, focusing on the azran and not on getting annie back? 

( _you’ll never find them unless they want you to, or you have something they want,_ the rational part of his mind whispered.)

descole felt weak, but he knew he needed to clean himself up. he considered crawling into the tub with his suit on, but ultimately decided against it. he stripped himself of his suit and left it crumpled on the floor. he sat in the tub and turned on the showerhead, letting the water run down his aching body. 

what was he supposed to do now? he had to stay away from targent until he could rescue anne-marie, lest anne-marie be forced to attack him again. 

then it hit him. the only reason anne-marie had followed orders was because she didn't know that he was her father. anne-marie didn’t know jean descole. 

but she did know desmond sycamore. 

the realization hit him like a frieght train. if anne-marie didn’t know jean descole, then he wouldn’t be jean descole. he’d become desmond sycamore, if only to rescue his daughter.

( _or to stop his daughter from being forced to kill her father_ )

and then...and then what? become jean descole again? no, he couldn’t. not with anne-marie around. if she ever found out the truth she’d either hate him, hate herself, or both. he couldn’t let that happen.

descole closed his eyes. he’d wear desmond sycamore’s skin for a lifetime if it meant he had his daughter back. 

the tub was beginning to fill with water from the showerhead. he’d need help with this. as jean descole began to think with desmond sycamore’s mind again, it became clear exactly who could help him.

he groaned, covering his eyes with his hand. not him. anyone but him. he’d see right through desmond sycamore.

( _you are desmond sycamore,_ said that voice again- the one that sounded suspiciously like his late wife’s)

descole groaned again, and got up. he drained the tub, and dried himself off. he looked in the mirror, and for the first time in years, it was desmond sycamore looking back at him.

**Author's Note:**

> you may recognize anne-marie from "the girl and the golem," which is an au of azran legacy focused on her and aurora. i'm not sure this is canon for "the girl and the golem," but the thought wouldn't leave me until i wrote it!  
> as always, you can reach me @lightningrooks on twitter and on tumblr!


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